State Historical Marker to Be Unveiled for Antioch (Rosenwald) School in Mathews County
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
October 2026
Contact:
Ivy Tan Ager
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.ager@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
State Historical Marker to Be Unveiled for Antioch (Rosenwald) School in Mathews County
—The school served Black students in grades one through seven during the period of racial segregation in Virginia—
—Text of marker reproduced below—
PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources will be dedicated in Mathews County next weekend, highlighting the history of the Antioch (Rosenwald) School, which provided education for Black children during the 20th century, when Virginia’s public schools were segregated.
The marker dedication will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, at Antioch Baptist Church, located at 110 Antioch Road in the Mathews County community of Susan (23163). Attendees may park in the church’s parking lot. This event is free and open to the public. A reception will be held inside the church’s fellowship hall following the marker’s unveiling.
The dedication will open with a brief ceremony. The Rev. Sean Cummings, pastor at Antioch Baptist Church, will deliver welcoming remarks and an invocation. The Rev. Dr. MarQuita Carmichael, former pastor at the church, will offer a statement of libation. Speakers will include Edith Turner, president of the Mathews County Branch of the NAACP; Joanna McKnight, DHR’s architectural historian for Virginia’s Eastern Region; and Janice Burgess, chairperson of the Antioch School Committee.
The story of Antioch (Rosenwald) School in Mathews County began circa 1869, the year Black men in the Susan community built a log school at the urging of Black women. Antioch Baptist Church met in the school during the church’s early years. A new school building was completed from 1926 to 1927 for children in grades one through seven. Funding for the new school mainly came from the Black community, which contributed $3,700 for the building’s construction. Mathews County contributed $500 while the Julius Rosenwald Fund—the school-building program established in 1917 by the president of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. and inspired by the work of Booker T. Washington—contributed $700. The Rosenwald Fund helped build approximately 5,000 schools for Black students in rural communities across the segregated South, including three in Mathews County. During its years of operation, Antioch School served as a community center that fostered social and cultural activity. The school closed in 1948 and is the county’s only remaining Rosenwald-style building.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Antioch (Rosenwald) School historical marker in September 2025. Antioch Baptist Church, which sponsored the marker, covered the marker’s manufacturing cost and organized the dedication.
Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,700 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.
Full Text of Marker:
Antioch (Rosenwald) School
At the urging of African American women in the Susan community, African American men built a log school ca. 1869. Antioch Baptist Church met there in its early years. In 1926-27, a new school was built 1,000 feet south of here for grades 1-7. Support came from the Black community ($3,700), the county ($500), and the Julius Rosenwald Fund ($700), established in 1917 by the president of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. and inspired by the work of Booker T. Washington. Rosenwald funding helped build about 5,000 schools for Black students, including three in Mathews Co. Antioch School, a community hub of social and cultural activity, closed in 1948 and is the county’s only remaining Rosenwald-style building.
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